Wikipedia (en)
The Type 26 frigate, also known as City-class frigate, is a class of frigates and destroyers being built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy, with variants also being built for the Australian and Canadian navies. The programme, known as the Global Combat Ship, was launched by the British Ministry of Defence to partially replace the navy's thirteen Type 23 frigates, and for export. Its primary role is to conduct advanced anti-submarine warfare missions while supporting air defence and general purpose operations. The type is the first naval platform shared between Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom since the pre-Second World War Tribal-class destroyer.
The programme began in 1998, under what was then known as the Future Surface Combatant (FSC). By March 2010 however, this procurement programme had evolved to become the Global Combat Ship, following the announcement of a four-year, £127 million design contract being awarded to BAE Systems Maritime – Naval Ships. The primary development phase started on 1 April 2015 and in August 2015, the first long lead time items for Type 26 were ordered, with manufacturing then expected to begin in 2016 and the first Type 26 to be delivered in 2023. Subsequently, the commissioning date for the first ship of the class slipped to late 2026, with initial operating capability now anticipated from 2028. The frigates will be built at BAE Systems' Govan and Scotstoun yards on the River Clyde in Glasgow.
The contract award to manufacture the Type 26 was announced by BAE Systems on 2 July 2017, with steel cut for the first of class, HMS Glasgow on 20 July 2017.
In June 2018, the Australian Government announced that it had selected a modified version of the Type 26 platform as the planned replacement for its Anzac-class frigate. The Royal Australian Navy will procure six Hunter-class frigates which will be constructed by BAE Systems Australia at ASC's shipyard in Osborne, South Australia.
On 8 February 2019, the Canadian government awarded Lockheed Martin Canada a C$185 million contract to design a fleet of up to 15 warships based on the Type 26 (the Canadian Surface Combatant), with a total program cost of $60 billion. The amount of the contract will increase as the design work increases. The initial design contract is with Irving Shipbuilding of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
